madswitcher
Well-known member
For those constructor who use Hellermann sleeves: how to put just the right amount of lubricant on the sleeves before using the three pronged stretching (midwife's) tool?
Use one of those small metal tins that you can buy that contain vaseline or lip salv - they are about 2 inches in diameter and about half an inch tall with the lid on.
Clean the tin out thoroughly and squirt a small amount of lubricant into the tin base so that it gives a very thin layer of about 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch deep. You can then dip both ends of the Hellermann sleeve (I tend to use half sleeves) and get just a small smear of lubricant before pushing it onto the stretching/application tool. Dipping both end makes sure that it slides easily on and off the tool, and that it also slides easily over the cables when you slide the sleeve off the tool. This lasts for about 50 or so sleeves before needing to add more lubricant.
Put the lid back on the tin to stop the lubricant evaporating.
Note also that for most applications such as wiring up D-types and XLRs, you can often get by with just half a sleeve, so snip them in two and save cash.
Hopefully I have described that sufficiently, but those folks who use the sleeves will probably recognise the problem.
Cheers
Mike
Use one of those small metal tins that you can buy that contain vaseline or lip salv - they are about 2 inches in diameter and about half an inch tall with the lid on.
Clean the tin out thoroughly and squirt a small amount of lubricant into the tin base so that it gives a very thin layer of about 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch deep. You can then dip both ends of the Hellermann sleeve (I tend to use half sleeves) and get just a small smear of lubricant before pushing it onto the stretching/application tool. Dipping both end makes sure that it slides easily on and off the tool, and that it also slides easily over the cables when you slide the sleeve off the tool. This lasts for about 50 or so sleeves before needing to add more lubricant.
Put the lid back on the tin to stop the lubricant evaporating.
Note also that for most applications such as wiring up D-types and XLRs, you can often get by with just half a sleeve, so snip them in two and save cash.
Hopefully I have described that sufficiently, but those folks who use the sleeves will probably recognise the problem.
Cheers
Mike